Read this as a warning. The post you are about to view may cause severe damage to both your emotional and financial well-being. This is your HODINKEE "What's Selling Where?" Round-Up - Grail Watches Edition. All of these watches below are for sale somewhere on the interwebs, and they are the kind of watches you don't see every day or have many chances to buy. Watches like a Philippe Dufour Simplicity, a Rolex Double-Red Sea-Dweller sold by Asprey for the Sultan of Oman, a vintage Vulcain Cricket Nautical, and a square crown guard Tudor Submariner. Oh, we'll throw in a Rolex reference 6238 chronograph given to Tony Kubek of the New York Yankees in 1964, too. Read this one at your own risk...

Read this as a warning. The post you are about to view may cause severe damage to both your emotional and financial well-being. This is your HODINKEE "What's Selling Where?" Round-Up - Grail Watches Edition. All of these watches below are for sale somewhere on the interwebs, and they are the kind of watches you don't see every day or have many chances to buy. Watches like a Philippe Dufour Simplicity, a Rolex Double-Red Sea-Dweller sold by Asprey for the Sultan of Oman, a vintage Vulcain Cricket Nautical, and a square crown guard Tudor Submariner. Oh, we'll throw in a Rolex reference 6238 chronograph given to Tony Kubek of the New York Yankees in 1964, too. Read this one at your own risk...

Philippe Dufour Simplicity

First, what is there that can be said about a Philippe Dufour Simplicity that isn't already conveyed in these photographs? You may remember our Road to Basel feature on him. (If you don't, watch it now!) Philippe spent 12 years making a run of 200 of these Simplicity watches, and will never make another. The Simplicity is considered by many to be the absolute finest time-only wristwatch on the planet, and Dufour's work is truly the par excellence by which so many others are measured. This 34mm white gold example is for sale for $105,000 and comes with a spare Roman numeral white dial and corresponding blue steel hands. You do not have many chances to make a dream like this come true. Original listing here.

Rolex Double Red Sea-Dweller for Asprey and the Sultan of Oman

Some of the hottest and most desirable Rolexes are those that were made for the Sultan of Muscat and Oman. Many times they have national emblem of Omen, the famous khanjar dagger, printed on the dial. For sale on Vintage Rolex Forum is an interesting Double Red Sea-Dweller that was supplied to Asprey in 1974 and sent to the Sultan of Oman according to Rolex UK. Interestingly, it has Asprey engraved faintly on the back, as was common for the watches sent to Oman, but it does not have the Omani national emblem. Regardless, it is an interesting and dare I say understated Double Red Sea-Dweller - a grail watch for many made even better because of its provenance - that is listed for 35,000 GBP.

1960s Vulcain Cricket Nautical

The Vulcain Cricket Nautical was a record-setting watch in its day. Good to a depth of 300 meters, deeper than any other watch commercially available at the time, it was co-designed by Arthur Droz, Max-Yves Brandly, and Hannes Keller. Keller, the innovator behind the concept of mixing gases to allow for deeper diving, wore a Cricket Nautical when we was setting records for the deepest dives made by a human (not in a submarine) in 1961 and 1962. The alarm function of these watches is extremely loud, and in advertising for the watch at the time, Vulcain suggested that the alarm could be used to communicate underwater. Made by E. Piquerez, this "Super Compressor" watch has a megadome crystal, which is absolutely stunning, and is a sizable watch at 42mm with a thick case.

This particular watch is of the later variety reportedly first introduced in 1962. The earlier Cricket Nautical watches had straight lugs with no bevels, green minute track on the dial, and smaller tritium lume dots, whereas this one has the beveled lugs (like the case of Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris), a white minute track, and slightly larger lume dots. Whether earlier or slightly later, these Cricket Nautical watches are rare birds. In fact, I know some collectors that have been trying to get one for years. This is one amazing watch, worthy of grail status for its aesthetics, history, and rarity. One has come up for sale at TheBeautifulWatch in Paris for 9,900 €.

1950s Tudor Submariner Reference 7928 with Square Crown Guards

Sometime it is the details that make all the difference. One of the most valuable and rare Tudors of all time is the square crown Submariner. Read all about in this detailed article I wrote here.

1960s Rolex Chronograph Reference 6238 Given to Tony Kubek of the Yankees

Many New York Yankees fans long for the days of Mantle and Maris, particularly at this time of the year. Playing right beside the two of them was shortstop Tony Kubek. Coming on the block at Heritage Auctions is a Rolex chronograph reference 6238 (the so-called "Pre-Daytona") reportedly given to him in 1964 following the Yankees winning the American League Championship, at least according to the engraving on the caseback. For more information, click here. Also in the auction is a Rolex watch given to Kubek for his wife.